We Live On Avenue Q

Now when it comes to musicals there are a couple of ways to approach it.

Go with knowledge of the songs, storyline and/or other details. So that you'd be able to sing along and pay attention to other details like the acting, stage setup, stuff you don't get from just listening to the soundtrack alone. Like appreciating the 'rotating platform' in Les Miserables. Or the differences between the cartoon version and the musical version of Beauty And The Beast.

Did we mention singing along? You'll also be able to tell when parts are sung differently from what you've been listening to on the soundtrack.

Then there is the 'surprise us' method - watching a musical with no idea as to how the songs and/or synopsis go, or having only a rough idea of it. Sort of like going for a YKLS performance. Such an approach always brings back 3-Seconder's comment when she, NJAPF and friends went to watch Les Miserables - she couldn't follow the story (and lyrics) and so just enjoyed the scenes and singing (then again, Les Mis was never easy to follow especially if you can't make out what they are singing).

But well, imagine the surprise you'd get if you'd gone for a musical you'd no idea what it was about, only to have one of the characters sing, "Fuck! It sucks to be me!"

Yep, we went for Avenue Q over the weekend.

Took the early 6am Aeroline bus down to Sporeland, walked about Vivo City until noon, then we checked into Grand Park Plaza Hotel. A quick walk around Bugis, lunch at Ma Maison (French take on Japanese food), then it was back to the hotel to sleep a while before the performance.

Reaching Esplanade we were surprised to see some folks dressed in familiar clothes - and it turns out that New Urban Male were in charge of t-shirt sales. Um, it's still a NUM shirt and not the original tees tho'. So we settled for the CD (SGD25) and the programme (a donation of any amount).



How was it? Spectacular. There's bits that'll remind you of Sesame Street indeed, asides from the characters. The telly on the side of the stage will show clips, like suddenly counting from 1 till 20, and while everyone wonders and follows, it reaches 20 and states, "20 minute intermission!" Or how the word Schadenfreude appears on the telly, along with a pronunciation guide.

Bits to remember:
Carla Guevara-Laforteza's pouty lips and hip-swinging as Lucy The Slut.
Intermission count ("1! 2! 3! 4! 5!...")
The shocking intensity in which Felix Rivera uses Princeton to plow Kate Monster.
5 nightstands.
The vertical bed and five disco balls in 'Fantasies Come True'.
Lucy The Slut and Carla being knocked unconscious, and her ECG meter boob readings.
'The Money Song' being cut short.

Pic taken from Our Awesome Planet

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Truth be told, we were expecting an angmoh cast, heh. When we heard that it was a Filipino cast we were a tad apprehensive, but the cast did a spectactular job. Expressions were spot-on, the muppeteers did a great job acting different roles, and there was never a dull moment. Oh yes and the muppets and muppeteers were cute.

After the performance we'd dinner before heading to Equinox. Spent a while there taking photos, had some slightly-drunk angmoh lady hug the beads deco where the lifts were and saying how nice they felt and encouraging us to do the same, then we head back.

Next morning Chief brought us to Redhill for breakfast, where we had this wonderful porridge with raw fish in sesame oil, sliced ginger and lime. Utterly delish. Then it was back for a swim before packing up to check out.

Shopped a bit along Orchard before meeting sis and her housemate for dinner, where we had the Sporeland version of bahkutteh - in white pepper soup. Different, and well, it ain't herbal bahkutteh and will never replace it. Then it was the long journey.

We've always complained about Sporeland being hot. Without fail, within a couple of minutes of stepping out into the open air we would be sweating already, and the Chief knows this. That we had to lug our knapsacks from City Hall to Tanjung Pagar...well, all we could think of was reaching our destination and to stop sweating. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

The Chief took our silence and concentration to be being bloody pissed for having to go the distance. The poor dear.

By the time we got on board the overnight train back to KL we were dead tired, but not before a quick bout of camwhoring. See? We are angelic.

How was the overnight train? Our first time, and the bunk was actually quite comfy and relatively clean (read: to tired to nitpick). Our only warning sign was to use the toilets before boarding, and thankfully we managed to use the Woodlands Immigration checkpoint toilets...the toilet on our coach looked like something out of a horror movie - you know, the kind that you find in old, abandoned derelict houses with no sense of hygiene...

Even with a kid on the bunk above us hacking phelgm like he was choking on it, sniffling and crying at the same time, we soon fell asleep and wouldn't have woke up at KL Sentral if the Chief didn't wake us up. Then it was back home for a bath then onwards to work!

And to think that after a long weekend we'd take Monday off to recuperate? No...we'll tell more later.